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Sir Leofric Landaville
In Biggles Sets a Trap, Sir Leofric Landaville was the twenty-first in the line of Baronet Landavilles resident at Ringlesby Hall in the New Forest. Prior to the events in the story, Biggles had once proscecuted Leofric for dangerous flying, an action which cost Leofric his pilots licence. Biggles was therefore surprised to find Leofric turning up at his office seeking his advice. Leofric explained that since the flying incident, his brother Charles had died and he had inherited the baronetcy. But getting the title was the last thing he wanted for along with it came a curse. Going far back into history, every Landaville had died a violent death. Leofric was not superstitious and did not believe in the curse, but the pattern was too much to be a coincidence. Now that he wanted to marry, he was in a qunadry. He had no wish to make his wife an early widow. Nor did he have much room for manoeuvre. The Royal Charter which granted his family the title required him to reside at Ringlesby Hall for eleven months in every twelve, and awarded him a stipend of only four hundred pounds a year. The family had always been impoverished and there could be no quesiton of moving somewhere else where it could be safe. Biggles was intrigued by his story and decided to help Leofric, even though the case had nothing to do with aviation. He and Bertie went down to Leofric's residence at Ringleby Hall. Their preliminary investigations proved that Charles was indeed murdered, even though the inquest had ruled it an accident. This only deepened the mystery as Charles had no enemies. Biggles and Bertie pressed their investigations but found that Leofric was at times rash and headstrong. He ignored Biggles' warning to remain indoors and instead rushed out of the house when he heard a raven's croak (which was the harbinger of a death of a Landaville, according ot the curse). Later, Leofric even hid outside the house with a rifle, with the intention of ambushing a potential intruder, and in so doing, was nearly shot by Biggles who had gone out to investigate some noises he had heard. Knowing Leofric, Biggles did not reveal to him the extent of his findings as the case progressed, afraid that he might jump to conclusions. It was only when an intruder at the house was killed in a car accident while fleeing from the scene that Biggles finally declared the threat to Leofric at an end and revealed the nature of the Landaville curse. It turned out that it was not so much a curse as a family feud carried down the generations for a few hundred years. When the Landavilles had been awarded the Ringlesby estate by Henry VII, the incumbent de Warine family had been dispossessed. They had sworn to exact revenge and retake the estate. The local innkeeper, William Warren was in fact a de Warine, the last of the line. He had killed Charles and had made several intrusions into Ringlesby Hall with the intention of seizing the Landaville Charter. With Richard, the last male de Warine, dead in the car accident, there no longer existed any purpose to the feud. Biggles advised Leofric to make peace by shaking hands with Julia Warren, Richard's sister and the last de Warine. This Leofric was glad to do, and with the feud at an end, the way was clear for him to discuss marriage with his girlfriend, Diana Mortimore. Category:People Category:Biggles characters Category:Air Police era characters